The end of an era
by trashace
Summary: Sasuke wakes up from a horrible dream, in which he is married to Sakura and his long time boyfriend is married to Hinata. It's almost laughable, really. [A chapter 700 rewrite. SasuNaru.]


It was horrible, perhaps one of his worst nightmares yet. The two faces followed him around, taunting and jeering them with their abundances of "Welcome home dear!" or "Daddy, come play with me!" The longer it went on, the more his sanity seemed to crack at the very core. There was only so much fear a man could handle. This world he'd been stuck in was like some kind of mental torture. Every time the vile woman kissed him, it was like tasting acid. Oh, how he wanted this to be over already. It was getting harder and harder to separate this dream from reality, it was as if in some universe this had really happened. Just as she leaned in the welcome her doting husband home, Sasuke awoke in a cold sweat.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked his boyfriend worriedly, giving him a sleepy glance.

"I just had the worst nightmare." Sasuke shuddered in the darkness, feeling the sweet relief of coming back to reality.

"Nightmares are a lot easier to deal with if you tell somebody what happens, ya know?"

"It was nonsense, honestly.. I was married to Sakura of all people, can you believe it? That isn't even scratching the surface, we had a daughter. And you were married to Hinata, what a joke!" Even in his sleepy haze, Naruto has to stifle a giggle. His boyfriend, married to Sakura?

"That must have been one crazy dream." A smile tugs at the corner of Naruto's lips, and for some reason he wonders if there's more. As if Sasuke's sleeping subconscious had created a whole other universe where their respective counterparts lived unrealistic lives. "What else happened?"

"Our child- we named her Salad. Yours was named Bolt, I believe. There was a girl too, but she wasn't as horrifying as mine. The only good thing was that she didn't inherit the pink hair. Sakura devoted herself to being my housewife, but her cooking tasted like shit. Itachi would have been rolling in his grave if he would have seen us like that. The whole village seemed to not be acting like themselves anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Sasuke's trademark frown etches onto his features. "Everyone was getting married and having kids. They forgot all about Orochimaru, or Taka. No one was punished for their crimes. Even Kakashi went soft and passed down the title of Hokage to you after only a few years."

"Hey, that last part isn't so bad!" Naruto protests. At least in Sasuke's dream world he was still Hokage, that wasn't something to complain about. Kakashi had also passed the title down to him in reality, but he made Naruto promise to let Sasuke be his successor when the time came for that. Sasuke sat up in bed and glared at Naruto.

"Because you were Hokage so soon, you were an awful father. Your son felt just as ignored as you did as a child," Sasuke explained solemnly.

"I'd never do that to my kid! I-"

"Shut up and let me finish," Sasuke interrupted, shaking his head in disbelief. "Hinata never became a jounin, due to the fact she was chasing after your children every second and was never given the opportunity to become anything but a simple housewife who done nothing but tend to the house. It was the same with Sakura, but much much worse." It wasn't that Sasuke disliked Sakura, per say, he just didn't return the sort of feelings she used to long for. Fortunately, she had managed to get over her childish crush and had decided to do something more favorable for Sasuke and Naruto. She had agreed to be their surrogate mother, and was currently 6 months pregnant with their son.

"But I'm not gonna be a bad dad! When I'm busy, he'll just get to spend more time with you. Besides, he'll have plenty of aunts and uncles around the village, so he won't ever be lonely."

"Hmph. In my dream everyone in the village was busy with little brats. Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Lee... everyone seemed to be in some sort of mating season. They didn't have time to spend on things like babysitting _your_ kids." After Sasuke finishes his sentence, Naruto makes a peculiar face, like he's thinking hard about something. Sasuke would consider that a rarity.

"Say, if everyone else was screwing up their lives, what about you? I know you got married to Sakura, but what else?"

"Similar to now, I traveled often. That seemed to be the only thing I did right," Naruto snorted playfully. Sasuke admitting to messing up? That really must have been some wild dream. For some reason, it felt kinda real to him too. He just couldn't figure out exactly why it made him feel that sense of deja vu. Oh well, he blamed it on tiredness. It was nearly 3 in the morning.

"You can tell me more about it tomorrow. We have a big day ahead of us!" Naruto reached up to flick the lightswitch off, trying to stifle a yawn. He crawled back in bed and pulled the covers over himself, scooting closer to Sasuke. He shut his eyes, and waited for the skinny arm to drape around his waist again like it did every other night. A smile appeared on his face when he felt Sasuke's warmth behind him.

"Goodnight, idiot."

"Goodnight, loser."

* * *

><p>The next day, the two boyfriends set out on a mission, something they had been planning to do since Sasuke had returned from his most recent trip.<p>

They made their way through the crowded village streets, until they spotted the familiar sign for Ino's shop. Hand in hand, the two swung open the door to reveal Ino, trimming a bouquet of roses. As soon as the two entered, her face lit up considerably.

"Sasuke and Naruto! It's been awhile. What are you doing here?" The woman grinned at them from behind the counter. Over time, she'd decided to grow her hair out even longer, and the blonde strands were almost down to her waist. She hadn't changed her style of dress much though, keeping her short skirts and low cut shirts. After the war, she had matured considerably and had decided to pursue becoming a jounin while running the flower shop in her spare time. She was also one of the first girls in the village to support Sasuke and Naruto's relationship, rather than be jealous that Sasuke had ended up with someone else.

"Buying flowers, duh!" Sasuke rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's immaturity.

"Oh right, the usual?" Ino asked, smiling at them. Naruto nodded, and Ino disappeared into the back room to retrieve their flowers. He began to dig deep into his pockets to find what he was looking for, his fingers searching for the ratty material. After a few seconds of searching, he felt something soft and took the old wallet out of his pocket while dumping money out onto his hand.

"You're still carrying that old thing around?" Sasuke huffed. The entire time they'd been dating, Naruto had kept his frog wallet from when they were genin. It was sort of embarrassing to be seen with him when he carried that thing around, yet endearing at the same time. Naruto only stuck his tongue out at him in response. Real mature for someone in his twenties. Ino then emerged from the back, carrying a handful of crimson roses.

"Here you go. I'm sure he'll love them," Her tone was somewhat somber, but her lipgloss coated smile quickly returned. Naruto handed her the money, and she gave him the roses in return. The two bid her farewell, before departing back into the Konoha streets. They had passed the residential district and were quickly heading into the busiest part of the village. The air smelled of food and fresh flowers, something that had become much more common since the war had ended. A group of children were darting into the streets, knocking over a deliveryman in the process. Behind them, a tall man in an academy uniform was trying to keep up, no doubt preparing to scold them.

"Shino must regret working for the academy," Sasuke noted.

"Nah, he likes it. Those kids may be a handful, but he scares em with the bugs if they get too bad."

"That sounds like something evil enough for me to do." The two smirk at the sight of the stotic Shino dashing after the children, before continuing their walk. Several passerby wave at Naruto, while excitedly whispering about the new Hokage. He turns to smile at them, and Sasuke squeezes his hand a little tighter. They pass by the academy on their way and see an aging Iruka playing with some small children. The older man notices them and grins, earning a smile from Naruto and a weak wave from Sasuke. He _still_ wasn't that good at being polite or sociable, but that was just Sasuke for you.

For a moment, Naruto thinks about stopping and talking to Iruka, then decides against it. Nah, he'll see him later. Sasuke and Naruto tread on, ignoring the endless assortment and chatter and sounds around them. Sometimes it was hard not to want to spent time with every single person in the entire village, now that they respected Naruto and didn't think he was a monster. No longer did people flee when he passed by them, most of them them had happy or calm expressions, knowing their Hokage was close by.

A few minutes later they hear shouting nearby, and Naruto turns to the source of the loud screeching. It's not surprise that it's coming from Tenten's weapon shop.

"Are you crazy Lee?! You can't give your son an axe, he's only 3 years old!"

"Only 3? He's at the right age to embrace youth! The will of fire has blossomed early with him."

"You're still stupid! Did Gai approve of this? Where are those two anyway?"

"Gai's giving him a ride in his wheelchair!"

Naruto snickers at the thought of that. Poor Tenten. With Neji gone, she was trying to be the sensible one out of the three. Whenever Lee had adopted a son and declared him his new prodigy, Tenten took on the role of a proud aunt and constantly argued with Lee about his parenting skills. It didn't help that Gai often encouraged him further, leaving Tenten absolutely distraught.

"Did Lee have a kid in your dream too, Sasuke?"

"Mhm. He was Tenten's child, to make things even worse." Naruto bursts out laughing, quickly trying to contain himself when several people start staring. He put on a straight face, while Sasuke practically dragged him along. They were getting closer and closer to their destination, and so they tried to quicken their steps. The place they were headed to was closer to the outskirts of town, near the woods, so they'd just have to pass through the shopping district to get there. Both men quickly dodge through traffic until they begin to see trees. They only have to step over a few bushes, before they're right in the woods and out of town.

Upon entering the forest, Sasuke notices something strange. It makes him crinkle his nose in disgust, and his eyebrows knit in annoyance.

"Dog piss," He sighs. Which means, Akamaru is close by. Even in his older years, Kiba still took that dog everywhere with him. By now, Akamaru was all wrinkly and slow, only a distant memory of the powerful ninja dog he'd used to be. But Kiba made sure his faithful companion enjoyed his retirement, nonetheless. "If this is what the ANBU is doing all day, we need new ANBU."

"Relax. Kiba was probably training out here with Shikamaru and Chouji, cause they don't have any ANBU duties right now. They haven't had any missions in awhile, ya know." Ever since the war ended, the majority of the Konoha 11 were promoted to jounin or ANBU, with the exception of Shikamaru who was now the captain of ANBU. There wasn't really any need for ANBU anymore, since times were so peaceful, but Naruto decided to keep them regardless. There was always the occasional rouge nin that they would have to take care of.

"Whatever, let's keep going, before we run into them." As usual, Sasuke despised the unnecessary social interaction. It seemed like the trees would go on endlessly, before they finally reached what they were looking for. The roses were clasped tightly in Sasuke's hand as they walked, Naruto's hand clasped in his other. If their purpose for this mission wasn't so bittersweet, the moment would feel almost.. enjoyable. Sunlight peered at them from beneath the milky white clouds, while a soft breeze shook the leaves from the trees. Today was like any other in the village, calm and tranquil.

After awhile, the two hear footsteps other than their own. Both Naruto and Sasuke pause, their eyes scanning the forest for another person. The footsteps cease, and the two share a confused glance. Maybe it had just been an animal. For now, they ignore it and go on. A few feet away there are an array of gravestones, where various family members and villagers lie. It is then that they spot the owner of the previous footsteps, which happens to be Hinata. Her eyes are full of sorrow when they spot her, that changes to fright when she sees the two sneak up from behind. She's on her knees at Neji's grave, a usual spot for the woman nowadays.

"Sorry for scaring you Hinata!" Naruto rubs the back of his neck nervously and looks down at her. Her solemn form changes when he speaks, and she dusts the dirt off herself and stands up. A weak smile tugs at her lips, and she shakes her head.

"Oh no, I shouldn't have been here so long anyway. I was going to go visit Kurenai anyway, do you two want to come?"

"Nah, we've got other things to do, but tell her I said hey. Make sure you tell her that I'm proud of her kid for being promoted so soon too."

"I will." She gives one last glance at Neji's tombstone before giving Sasuke a nervous smile and darting off. Mostly she'd gotten over her shyness, but Hinata didn't like to show her secret weakness, like most people. The hurt she felt over the death of Neji had faded considerably, she just had a scar that would never go away. If she hadn't missed him at all, Naruto would've been more worried. Grief from time to time was normal.

It's a few gravestones over, the one they're looking for. The marble is fresher than most, and the letters carved into the stone have barely faded with time. One thing Naruto had always promised Sasuke was to make sure this place was kept nice whenever he was gone. Naruto bends over and removes the old and wilted flowers from their last visit, then stands up and looks at the grave again. He knows that every time Sasuke looks down at that name, a part of him is going to ache. All Naruto can do is wrap an arm around his lover and help him lower the flowers onto the dirt.

The two spend some time just standing there, trying to remember the face that goes with the name scrawled out on the tomb. Silence is inevitable, but it's more fitting rather than awkward. Naruto doesn't expect Sasuke to cry- he never does during these visits. Sasuke's face is his cold and solemn, and he's trying hard not to remember the time he wasted instead of being with that person he misses so much. Naruto has reassured him on many different occasions that they have time of their own. They'll soon have a family of their own, and the burdens of older times will be washed away by the happiness of the future. Sasuke will always hurt, but he'll always be there to ease that pain.

He doesn't know how long they stay, till Sasuke mutters quietly that he's ready to go. Their visits keep getting shorter and shorter, and perhaps Sasuke is moving on from his past.

They leave with a name behind them; UCHIHA ITACHI.

* * *

><p>Sakura had made them promise to come see her whenever Sasuke returned to Konoha. Of course, Naruto turns her invitation into an excuse to go get ramen, which snowballs into him inviting Kakashi as well. It's near sunset by the time Sasuke and Naruto return from the graveyard, causing them to rush to get to Ichiraku's in time. Unsurprisingly, they are late. Sakura is sitting there with her arms crossed over her chest and enormous stomach, looking like she could kill the both of them. Kakashi hasn't arrived, meaning they were late but not too late.<p>

"There you two are! I've been waiting all evening, what gives?" She snaps, frowning at the two of them as they take their seats beside her. Their bowls of ramen are already waiting for them, and the smell is enough to make them both hurry for their chopsticks.

"Sorry, sorry. Sasuke and I had some stuff to do."

"Yeah, well me and the baby were hungry. I didn't bother waiting for you guys to eat." Sure enough, her bowl is completely empty. Naruto isn't the only one asking for seconds this time, it looks like. "I talked to Temari today, she was punctual at least," Sakura adds, changing the subject before she gets too peeved.

"Oh yeah, what did she want?"

"Nothing really, just gossiping. Gaara's hair is getting so long, she'll have to cut it soon or it'll end up getting onger than Ino's." She giggles. Naruto and Sasuke are too busy eating to reply, but her remark is still amusing. Gaara with long hair was nearly as scary as Gaara with short hair.

"Howth Kankowu?" Naruto asks with his mouth full. Sasuke rolls his eyes.

"Kankuro? He's been studying more, trying to develop new technology for the village or something. It's actually pretty interesting."

"I would've never thought he'd be the genius out of the three," Sasuke says, noticing a new figure out of the corner of his eye. Kakashi has decided to finally show up. That was one bad habit of his he hadn't managed to fix. When it came to the dirty books, no one had written any that catered to his taste since Jiraiya's death. There was a rumor going around the village that someone had decided to follow in Jiraiya's footsteps, however. His name was Konohamaru.

"Kakashi!" Sakura scolds menacingly. "You're not just late, you're worse than that!"

"Give an old man a break," He replies, before sitting down beside Sakura. "He's getting real big." He raises an eyebrow, then points to her bulging stomach. The baby was getting awfully huge for only 6 months in.

"He's not that big. Tsunadae says he's perfectly fine."

"I wish you'd pick a name already. I don't like having to keep calling it "Him", or "he"." Kakashi sighs and picks up his bowl. He was thinking about bringing Yamato and Sai along, but they'd had other plans for tonight. Perhaps they'd went drinking with Shizune and Tsunadae.

"I would've picked a name, if these two idiots would decide on one already." Sakura shoots Sasuke and Naruto a glare. They'd argued over names for months, trying to find the perfect one. No one could decide.

"Get this, last night Sasuke had some weird dream. I had a kid named Bolt!" Naruto hollers. Sasuke stiffens from beside him, and is crossing his fingers under the table. _Please don't tell him about Salad_, he pleads silently.

"Even I wouldn't give my kid such a stupid name." Sakura frowns in disbelief.

"I have an idea," Sasuke speaks up, diverting the conversation from his dream. "I'd like to name him Itachi." Everyone at the table goes silent. Naruto looks from Sakura to Sasuke, then down at his hands nervously.

"Itachi is a fine name," Kakashi agrees.

"You know I'm gonna say yes!" Naruto butts in.

"I have no objections," Sakura smiles.

From now on, there will be a difficult road ahead. The task of raising a family is no easy one. But tonight, Sasuke feels an odd sensation. Happiness. As long as the people he loves are by his side, there is no challenge he cannot face. He knows deep down that Itachi would be proud of the man he has become, and it gives him a sort of closure. Looking at Naruto makes the happiness within him swell even more. Sasuke knows how it feels to love someone, but what he feels towards Naruto is even more than that.

"Itachi it is then."


End file.
